The present invention relates in general to hand tools for use with specific farm equipment and/or specialized mechanical implements. More specifically, the tool of the present invention provides improved mechanical assistance for moving the multiple depth adjustment plates on John Deere® Model 750 Grain Drill or its equivalent. The improved grain drill depth adjustment tool provides for true one-handed adjustment which represents a significant improvement over the conventional adjustment tool included with the grain drill. Additionally, the improved grain drill depth adjustment tool significantly reduces the setup time required whenever the seeding depth is changed. A commercial grain drill is typically available in a wide variety of sizes to suit the particular application and need. A thirty foot wide grain drill with forty-eight rows spaced approximately seven and one-half inches apart is one example. The thirty foot grain drill has forty-eight individual grain drill depth adjustment assemblies primarily consisting of a pivot shaft/bearing assembly, a spring-loaded pin, and a grain drill depth adjustment plate which must be manually adjusted each time the planting depth is varied. The grain drill depth adjustment plate has a square-shaped aperture which provides a means for rotational adjustment of the plate; and a plurality of elongated apertures capable of receiving the spring-loaded pin such that the plate can be locked into position. These grain drills were provided with a depth adjustment tool consisting of an approximate three-quarter inch diameter, twelve-inch long metal handle, having an approximate two inch length of one-half inch square bar stock welded at a ninety degree angle to the handle. The one-half inch square bar stock of the provided depth adjustment tool fits into the approximate one half-inch square-shaped aperture on each of the individual depth adjustment plates. The John Deere® grain drill's instruction manual suggests using their provided tool in combination with a conventional open-end wrench to release a spring-loaded pin thereby allowing the provided depth adjustment tool to rotate the depth adjustment plate and thereby vary seeding depth. The open-ended wrench merely functions as a spanner or a pry bar as do other popular alternatives, such as a large bladed screwdriver. Some of these depth adjustment plates are difficult to access and require someone to climb over or under the implement frame, crouch or crawl among the individual row units, and reach each individual depth adjustment plate and the corresponding spring-loaded pin for each row unit with both hands in order to change the seeding depth. It is often very difficult for someone to balance in these awkward positions while having to use both hands to position each individual adjustment plate. Additionally, the individual adjustment plates can be difficult to move without first reducing the pressure that the weight of the grain drill's gauge wheels transfer to the spring-loaded pins and therefore the adjustment process requires a balancing act between the provided depth adjustment tool in one hand and the conventional open-end wrench or other pry bar type tool in the other hand. Accumulated dirt, debris and/or rust can compound the adjustment process thereby making this balancing act even more difficult. This conventional two-handed operation typically requires between forty to fifty minutes to adjust all forty-eight depth adjustment plates on a thirty foot grain drill. Smaller grain drills having less row units and therefore less adjustment plates would require less setup time and conversely larger grain drills would require more setup time. The present art improved grain drill depth adjustment tool accomplishes this task without the need for an additional spanner or pry bar type tool and thus provides for true one-handed operation. The improved grain drill depth adjustment tool provides means for both engaging the depth adjustment plate and releasing the corresponding spring-loaded pin thereby allowing the depth adjustment plate to be easily rotated to achieve the desired seeding depth. This one-handed operation typically takes about ten minutes to adjust all forty-eight depth adjustment plates on a thirty foot grain drill thereby resulting in increased efficiency through significant time savings.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved grain drill depth adjustment tool which is capable of unlocking, repositioning and allowing re-locking of the grain drill's depth adjustment plate without the need of additional auxiliary devices.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved grain drill depth adjustment tool which is capable of unlocking, repositioning and allowing re-locking of the grain drill's depth adjustment plate while only requiring the use of one-hand in order to perform these functions.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved grain drill depth adjustment tool which increases the efficiency of the seeding depth adjustment process by reducing adjustment time and thereby increasing agricultural productivity.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an improved grain drill depth adjustment tool which requires minimal force and is relatively easy to use.